The Red and White Rose
by TudorGirl
Summary: This story is about Henry Tudor a.k.a. Herny VII of England the Red Rose and Elizabeth of York the White Rose and the events that involved around them; from the War of the Roses,their marriage and family to their death.
1. 1457:The Birth of Henry Tudor

**A/N:** This is my first Tudor fanfiction as well as my first story, so please those of you review, be nice.

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**The Red and White Rose**

**28 January 1457**

"One more push, my lady. Just one more."

A woman or should I say a girl of the age of thirteen, the Lady Margaret Beauford, was about to give birth to the hopeful heir to the Lancaster. Her husband, the late Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond's father, Owen Tudor, originally from the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, had been a page in the court of Henry V. He rose to become one of the 'Squires to the Body to the King' after military service at Agincourt. He is said to have secretly married the widow of Henry V, Catherine of Valois. Edmund had been created Earl of Richmond in 1452, and 'formally declared legitimate by Parliament'.

Lady Margaret Beauford claimed royal blood as a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III, and his third wife Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. Katherine was John's mistress for 25 years and they had four children; John, Henry, Thomas and Joan Beaufort, when they married in 1396.

John of Gaunt ensured his and Katherine's children were legitimized. His nephew, Richard II, issued Letters Patent, confirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1397, that legitimized John of Gaunt's Beaufort children. In 1407, Richard's cousin and successor, Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, issued an order confirming the legitimacy of the Beaufort children, but barring them from the throne. The legality of Henry's order was doubtful, given the Beauforts were previously legitimized by an Act of Parliament. The Yorkist kings were as well. Joan Beaufort, only daughter of the Gaunt-Swynford union, was the mother of Cecily Neville, wife of Richard, Duke of York and mother of Edward IV and Richard III.

In November, Margaret and Edmund were married when Margaret was only twelve years old. A year later though, Edmund Tudor was gone, died of an illness after being held captured the Yorkist Herbert family. They imprisoned him at Carmarthen Castle in south Wales, where he caught the plague and died while she was heavily six months pregnant. Her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke took her in for safety, where she'll give birth to her child. Now the moment has come, if she succeeds on giving birth to a male heir, there might be hope for the Lancaster family.

A cry interrupted Margaret's thoughts as the child entered the world. "What is it?"

The nurse wrapped the newborn in white linen as she handed the child to its mother. "A boy. A healthy baby boy."

Margaret was shock at what she had heard. She had a son, a Lancastrian heir. She held out her hand as the nurse placed her newborn son in her arms. The new mother looks at her newborn son as he cried. Margaret bounces him up and down to calm him.

"Hush, my child. Hush, my beautiful Henry Tudor."

And so, on the twenty-eight of January, the Year of our Lord 1457, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of the late Edmund Tudor and the Lady Margaret Beaufort, heir to the house of Lancaster was born.


	2. 1466:The Birth of Elizabeth of York

_**A/N:** I like to thanks those who have reviewed. Lady Eleanor Boleyn, Sassygirl193, TrivialQueen, BolyenGirl13 and a anymonous reviewer. Thank you so much for reviewing this story. It really gave me the courage to continue on with the story about Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Once again, thank you._

_I don't own The Tudors at all._

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**The Red and White Rose**

**11th of February, 1466**

It was a cold day in England, but it was a bit warmer here in Westminster Place where the royal family of England was residing. The Queen of England, Elizabeth Woodville, was heavily pregnant with England's heir. She gently rubbed her very-much round stomach as she waited for the time to come for England's future king to be born.

As Elizabeth continued on rubbing her stomach, she thought about how a commoner with great beauty, like her, became Queen of England.

She was the daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who had previously been married to John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford. Through her mother, Elizabeth was a distant descendant of King John of England. She was a maid of honour to Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI in 1445 when she was only about eight years of age. In about 1452, she married Sir John Grey of Groby, who was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, fighting for the Lancastrian cause, which would become a source of irony as Edward IV was the Yorkist claimant to the throne. Elizabeth had two sons from the marriage, Thomas (later Marquess of Dorset) and Richard.

After her husband's death, Elizabeth had no control of her late husband's lands or money, thanks to her mother-in-law, so Elizabeth decided to see Edward IV, the newly crowned King of England.

While Edward and his men were riding through the forest, Elizabeth pop out and introducing herself with the King. The king was notorious as a womanizer and having many mistresses, including Jane Shore. They started talking and before Elizabeth knew it, she was married to the king of England on the first of May 1464.

Elizabeth was crowned Queen on Ascension Day, 26 May 1465. There was an infamous incident at her coronation which was not attended by Edward IV (kings traditionally did not attend their consorts' coronations) in which her mother's Luxembourg kinsmen landed in a ship at Ship's Green and arrived at Westminster Abbey carrying shields painted with the figure of Melusine, a "water-witch" (actually a medieval version of the old pagan goddess) described variously as a mermaid or possibly as a female figure depicted as a snake from the waist down, but with the face clearly that of the young Queen. This immediately caused whispers of witchcraft to circulate throughout the Abbey, as it was indeed the intention of the Luxembourgers to suggest an accusation of witchcraft thereby. Elizabeth's brother Anthony came to her rescue, driving the Luxembourg kinsmen forth from the Abbey all the way to Ship's Green where he would not allow them to embark and depart until he had answered this charge of witchcraft in single combat with every one of them and scratched every Melusine shield.

But now, she was queen and was with England's future king. Suddenly, Elizabeth starting feeling pain. She gasped really hard as her ladies-in-waiting rush to her side.

"Your majesty, what is it? What's wrong?" said one of the ladies.

"It's time. It's time of the baby to come." Said the queen as her ladies hurried to the bed.

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His Majesty, King Edward IV of England, was waiting patiently for his beautiful queen to deliver his son and heir. It was amazing how things went with him when he was growing up and how he became king of England.

Born as Edward of York in Rouen in France, the second son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York (who had a strong genealogical claim to the throne of England[1]) and Cecily Neville. He was the eldest of the four sons who survived to adulthood. The Duke of York's assertion of his claim to the crown in 1460 was the key escalation of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. When his father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, Edward inherited his claim.

With the support of his cousin, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick ("The Kingmaker"), Edward defeated the Lancastrians in a succession of battles. And whilst Henry VI and his militaristic queen, Margaret of Anjou, were campaigning in the north of England, Warwick gained control of the capital and had Edward declared king in London in 1461. Edward strengthened his claim with a decisive victory at the Battle of Towton in the same year, in the course of which the Lancastrian army was virtually wiped out. Even at the age of nineteen, he had remarkable military acumen and a notable physique. His height is estimated at 6'4", making him the tallest British monarch to date

The door opened where the queen was lying in. The head lady came out.

"Well, what is it?" asked Edward.

"A girl, your highness. A beautiful, healthy baby princess."

A girl, Edward thought. Not a son.

Edward walks right past the maid and into the room.

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Queen Elizabeth Woodville held her new baby daughter in her arm. The baby princess was already sleeping. She had failed in getting the king a son.

She heard footsteps in the room as people bowed down to their king. Elizabeth looks up to see her husband walking towards her.

"Edward, please forgive me. I wanted to give you a son so much." Elizabeth said frantically.

"It's all right my darling Elizabeth. We are still young. We will have a son." Edward said, reassuring his wife.

Edward looks at his newborn daughter as he stretches out his hand to hold her. "We should name her Elizabeth after her beautiful mother, the queen."

Queen Elizabeth smiled at her husband's remark. "Yes, Elizabeth is a suitable name for a beautiful princess."

And so, on the eleventh day of February, the Year of our Lord 1466, Elizabeth Plantagenet, Princess of York, Princess of England, daughter of their Graceful Majesty King Edward IV and his queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville was born.


	3. 1483: Death of a King and A New Claim

A/N: I have fast forward the story to the time of Elizabeth's father's death because my main reason is I really wanted to get into Henry Tudor and Elizabeth Plantagenet's relationship as husband and wife, so that's why. Hopefully, my readers, you would understand. And now onto the story. Plus I'll be starting school again, so the story would be a bit delay, but don't worry, I will continue and finish this story, hopefully by the end of September.

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**1483**

The King of England, Edward IV, was dead.

The new king was now, Edward IV's 12 year old son, Edward V. The new king was under age, so his father's younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester was entrusted in being Lord Protector of England until Edward was of age.

Seventeen-year-old Princess Elizabeth was sitting in a chamber with her mother, sisters Mary, Cecily, Anne, Catherine and Bridget and her younger brother, Richard, Duke of York. It was a devastating time for the royal family for they have not only lost a king but lost a loving husband and a devoted father.

"I can't believe Father's gone." Cried Bridget, the youngest princess.

"It's going to be all right, Bridget." Replied Elizabeth, putting on a brave face and comforting her baby sister.

"What's going to happened to us?" asked Richard.

"We must be brave. Edward is now king and even though he's still young. Your uncle would be lord protector of this kingdom until Edward is of age." Said Elizabeth Woodville.

So, now all the royal family has hope for the new king, not knowing the dangers and deceptions that would come along the way for the next few months and also for the next two years.

_**Three Months Later…**_

A rider rode through Brittany's shore line as he was eager to give to a young man, the twenty-seven year old, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond.

For the past fourteen years, the young earl was sent into exiled when the Yorkist King Edward IV came to the throne, getting rid of Henry's cousins which made the earl, the last remaining Lancaster's heir, fleeing for his life, spending the next fourteen years in exile.

"My lord. A message is here from England."

Henry looks to see a young page, holding out a paper in front of the earl. Henry took it from him and read it.

"Edward IV is dead and his two sons have been place in the tower, being declared illegitimated along with their sisters and now, the late king's brother, Richard has declared himself King." Said Henry.

Henry's uncle, Jasper Tudor, heard his nephew. "Richard isn't quite popular with the English people, nephew. This maybe your chance to gain the throne that you so rightfully deserved. You should write to your mother, so that she could keep you inform about what is going on in England and to tell you when it would be a right time to strike."

"Yes, uncle." Said Henry as he started writing to his mother back in England.

'_When the time is right, I'll be the next King of England.'_


End file.
